Back Again
by Tegypte
Summary: Set after Couldn't and Stubborn; After four years, almost everybody has given up looking for Katara. But when word reaches the Fire Nation of new leads, will the Gaang be able to reassemble to search for their lost member? ZUTARA SUKKA Onesided Kataang!
1. How Could It?

It couldn't be possible.

It had been four years since Katara went missing. _Four years_

It just couldn't be possible.

Could it?

Word had made its way to the fire nation palace of good deeds the mythical Painted Lady had done, starting about three and a half years ago.

Katara had pretended to be the Painted Lady, all those years ago. And yet she had told him that she saw the real spirit afterwards, so…

So now you knew Aang's dilemma. He paced back and forth in his room, designated for him with the appropriate colors of all four nations, even of the air nation which he was working on rebuilding. That's right; he wasn't the last air bender anymore.

When Katara disappeared she raised serious question of whether or not she committed suicide by leaving each of them letters, although Sokka and Zuko refused to share theirs. But it was Aang's letter that…That had broken the Airbender's heart, rereading it at least a thousand times, to a point where he could recall the words with ease

'_Dear Aang_

_I'm sorry. Really, I am, but by the time you read this I'll have already…Left. _

_I know that you had such big plans for us, that (tears blotted the page there) you love me. But I'm sorry, I just (more tears) can't. No matter how much I tried, I just couldn't ever love you the way you say you love me. You'll always be in my heart as my brother, my rock, my (the last word seemed strained) hope. I know you'll move on, and if it helps, you can forget about me. Forget I ever existed, that we ever met, please. I won't be coming back, and there's nothing you can do you stop or find what's left of me. Please, respect my last wishes, if nothing else then for everything we've been through together, and leave what's left alone, because by the time you read this, the Katara you know will be dead._

_Goodbye Aang._

_Love,_

_Katara_'

Aang wiped a tear from his eye as he remembered all too vividly how he had run as fast as his Airbending could allow to find her, using everything he could think of to track her down. All he had gotten was where she had been, and by the time he had gotten out to the Cliffside, Sokka, Toph and Zuko were already there. All of them with letters, and all of them with tears.

The young avatar shook his head, bringing himself back to the present. After a year of searching he had finally given up, despite his feelings that she was still out there somewhere. Even Sokka had stopped looking after two years; both of them spent travelling with Toph to look. Toph never gave up, and continued to travel the world looking for their missing friend to this day, even though Sokka had stopped and married Suki, now living in both the rebuilt Southern Water Tribe learning how to be the next chieftain and on Kyoshi in the winter continuing his study with the relocated Piando and the Kyoshi Warriors. There were even a few rumors that the Fire Lord, known to them as Zuko, had secretly sent out those who could find her but, Aang had given up. She had asked him to after all, and now he had a wife and child to look after.

He had married Aunt Wu's assistant Meng at 16, her having their child a few months ago. Since she wasn't a bender, Kala was an Airbender like her father, and named after his lost love. He adored (enter name?) much like a sister, but just couldn't love her like he loved Katara. Was this what he was forcing her into? There wasn't a day in his life when he didn't wonder if he was the sole reason she left.

Still, that didn't matter right now. He knew word would reach Zuko any minute, and he would probably check it out. Ursa, his long-lost mother that he had found a year after the Painted Lady was sighted, would probably support him. At least, as soon as she came back from the prison. The kindly woman had made it a habit to visit Azula in prison once a week, since that's when her schedule allowed. Zuko had never gone with her.

He had sent word out to Sokka, who had just arrived in Kyoshi for the spring and summer, and Toph who had taken a quick refuge up in Ba Sing Se. The Painted Lady had been making a steady stream of goodwill from the south side of the Earth Kingdom to the Northern Water Tribe, supposedly somewhere around the Western Air Temple right now, most likely about to go through the Fire Nation. If they hurried, they might be able to catch her at the Temple, or at least have Zuko catch her on his home turf.

With a sigh the young Avatar sat on the edge of his bed, rubbing his longer face tiredly. He had grown over the years, his face growing into his eyes and ears, though they still seemed slightly larger than the rest of him, and growing to an almost staggering height of 6"4 already. He still wore the official air bender robes every day, except when he was travelling, that's when he wore a somewhat older version of his original clothing.

He leaned back on the soft satin, curling himself into a ball and falling into a restless sleep, hoping the others would be there soon.

This is the first of many chapters in Back Again! Thank you oodles for reading, IT WAS AWESOME OF YOU! But you know what would be More awesome-ner(Yes, that's a word)? A REVIEW! ^.^


	2. Gathered

"Sokka, are you alright? You haven't said anything since we set out for the Palace" Suki said worriedly, putting her hand on her husband's chest as they walked through the fire nation streets. They had both matured with the long years since Katara's absence left a gaping hole in Sokka's life. Sokka had left his hair the way it was before, in a wolf tail behind his head, but with a braid hanging down to the side like his father's with blue and white beads adorning the bottom. His face had hollowed out slightly, allowing his prominent chin and high cheekbones to show, his blue eyes only losing a slight piece of their luster. His physique had changed significantly as well, growing taller to about 6"2 and slightly broader as he continued training with Piando. He never found his 'space sword', but Toph managed to get his boomerang back to him as a birthday gift a year ago. She insisted it was an 'accident' to have found it, but everybody knew she had to have gone way out of her way to find it. He had replaced his nigh-legendary black sword with one of gleaning steel, with an equally magnificent make, though not quite so…Familiar.

Suki hadn't gotten much taller, only a few inches to a couple head shorter than Sokka, but had definitely gotten better…endowed. She was still wearing her traditional Kyoshi wardrobe, face paint and hair included with her trusty fans at her sides. In time she had become a grand master of the Kyoshi art, becoming the second in command on her island. She was hoping to be expecting soon with Sokka's child, though they couldn't decide where to have the child.

She knew that anything about Katara still bothered her water tribe prince, since he had resigned himself to the fate that she had died on that Cliffside four years ago after searching for two. So when word had come from Aang at the Fire Palace that they should come immediately because it concerned her…death, she could only imagine the turmoil going through her husband at the moment, let alone her own pain at losing such a friend. She had known Katara the least, but she knew how important she was, and how loved. After all everybody knew she was Sokka's sister, the Princess of the Southern Water Tribe, once the Avatars Fiancé, and both she and Toph secretly wondered about Katara and Zuko. They dared not voice their suspicions though, especially after the engagements and Katara's disappearance a week after the Fire lords honeymoon.

Sokka said nothing as they passed the guards, entering into the main hall not long after. Aang was pacing the room with his hands behind his back, looking like he had just woken up from a nightmare with a worried look on his face. It had been two years since the whole Gaang, minus the obvious, had gotten together, and Suki and himself had been planning on inviting them to a summer solstice gathering before they were summoned to the palace. He would have crushed the avatars throat for bringing up Katara's memory like this had he not looked as distressed as he felt. To have someone dredge up his sister's death after all these years…He could still remember the disbelief he felt when he saw she had left, and then finding her letter… He carried it with him everywhere, as a reminder of what he fought, trained, bled and cried for.

'_Dear Sokka_

_My Brother. _

_You may not believe it, but nothing has ever made me prouder to say than that. I know you never saw you're potential, that you never really knew what a great warrior and leader you could be, but I always have. You never settled for second best, at least when it come to others, and I've always admired that about you. No matter what, you have always taught me to protect, not necessarily by fighting, those I care about through example. I could never ask for a better brother, friend, or future Water Tribe Chief, and I certainly could never ask for a better protector. Everything you've ever done was for someone else's good, every injury for someone else's sake, and I'm ashamed to say I've added to more of your scars than most. _

_You have always, and forever will be, my sole constant, my only confidant in life. Whatever you do, never lose your heart, or your mind. Come on, in a hundred years nobody else thought of a plan nearly as brilliant as yours on the day of the Eclipse. As much as I'll miss everybody, I think I'll miss you the most. _

_By the time you read this I'll already be gone, so don't bother running off, although if I know you at all you already did as soon as you finished the first paragraph of this. Before I finish, I need to ask of you one more favor, one last sacrifice. _

_I know that you'll never find me, because there will be nobody to find. I'm sorry Sokka, my Brother, but I have to do this. In four years, I need you to go back to the Western Air Temple, and before I give you further instructions, I must warn you to __**.sooner.**__ It is important, because if you do, you'll fail and what I want you to get will be gone forever. Go on the summer solstice four years from now, there will be someone waiting for you._

_I've told you that I saw the Painted Lady, and I made a deal with her in exchange for my help with her people. She will guide the way to where you need to go, but you'll need help. If possible, take Aang, Toph and Zuko. If for some reason they can't, then the Lady will be able to pass their tests. With your help. Don't worry about not being able to be there, as a part of the deal I've asked the Lady to watch over you, nothing bad will befall any of you. Ever again._

_I'm sorry Sokka_

_I really am._

_With Love forever,_

_Katara'_

Sokka hardened his jaw and unconsciously flexed his muscle a habit whenever he thought about Katara. Especially since Suki let him read her letter…Had she always felt so alone? He shook his head, not the time to think about that after all. He addressed Aang

"Where are Toph and Zuko?" In time his voice had deepened considerably, though still lighter than his fathers, it would probably be almost identical when he was older. Aang jumped slightly, as though he hadn't noticed the others come in, and Sokka softened his countenance considerably. Of course Aang was upset, even if it wasn't obvious from the light shadow on his bald head and dark bags under his eyes, everybody could tell he still loved her. He seemed happy enough with (name?) but he clearly still missed Katara, after all, it was sort of a silent agreement that one of the reasons she left was their engagement. He should have stopped it; after all, anybody could see that she didn't love him that way. He could still remember the night he heard she accepted his proposal, the same night after Zuko married Mai…

'"_Katara!" Sokka called, knocking on his little sister's door. Suki had told him how she found Katara crying after Zuko's wedding just that morning, and then he heard that she was engaged to Aang of all people! Even he could see that she loved him as a brother. Heck, she even said so a couple times! Slowly the door opened to reveal Katara's face, pale and tearstained as it was, he could never deny his sisters beauty._

"_What do you need Sokka?" She asked eyes wide and her ever-familiar smile plastered on in a way that even he could see it was fake. He pushed his way into her room, turning and blocking the door from her after he closed it with crossed arms_

"_Why did you accept Aang's proposal? Even I can see that you don't love him" Katara dropped the fake smile, her eyes becoming sadder than he ever though she could be, her shoulders slumping and arms hugging herself, looking utterly lost. He dropped his arms, opening them as she practically flew into his arms, burying her face into his neck _

"_Because he deserves to have the one he loves" She sobbed, making him hold her closer_

"_Shh…What are you talking about? Do you really think that either of you will be happy?" He shook his head, resting his cheek in the crook of her neck comfortingly "He won't be happy if you're not happy, Katara" she shook her head_

"_You can't be happy without the one you love" He pulled back just the slightest_

"_Katara? What are you talking about?" he asked warily, tensing when she sobbed again_

"_If I can't have the one I Love, then why shouldn't he? It's no fun Sokka, it's no fun at all" she sighed, hugging him tighter. Idly he noticed that she had writing utensils out, but ignored it. Was probably writing peace-stuff. _

"_You shouldn't marry him." He stated "I know Jet's gone but-"She shook her head_

"_I don't mean Jet" she whispered, and he tensed again_

"_Then who?" She sighed and pulled back, looking him in the eyes_

"_It doesn't matter" she said sadly, shaking her head. "Thanks Sokka" a weak smile "But I have to do this" '_

He shouldn't have left it at that. Aang wasn't the only one at fault; he had to do with it to. After all, who else could? She was on good terms with Toph at the time mostly, and she and Suki had never even had a quarrel. As for Zuko…He wasn't sure. Sure they were usually at each other's necks, but at other times…It was like they connected in ways he couldn't explain. He had seen them feeding the turtle ducks out back before, laughing and nudging each other playfully for hours, but then at dinner the same day where practically throwing food at one another in spats of anger. However, he had seen her sneak into the War Hall, now a conference room, where Zuko was 'burning the midnight hours', pun intended, the night before she disappeared four years ago.

"Toph should be here any-"

"Hey Twinkle Toes!" a familiar yet different voice called. Nobody had really seen Toph for two years, not since Sokka stopped helping her look for Katara. True, Aang had seen her stop by for a couple hours at the air temples, and she had been at both weddings, but beyond that…She was a traveler true to form. A form that had changed dramatically

Now a young woman, Toph BeFong was 5"6, with a thick muscular frame complimented by an almost hourglass shape. Her face had thinned out, her face square yet still somehow womanly. Still the same milky color, her eyes were slightly narrower though not much to notice, not with her much longer hair on top of her head twisted into a tight bun, but with the same black shag hanging over her eyes. Of course she had been forced to change her outfit, with Suki's help of course, into something more appropriate for her age. Her top was green, with cutoff sleeves and a yellow strip around the bottom, just above her bellybutton. Her pants were also green, inflated around the legs but retightened around her hips and ankles, both also bearing a yellow strip of cloth. Needless to say, her feet were still bare

"Wow, Toph, you've grown up" Aang commented. Not that he was interested of course, but it was true. Definitely wasn't the same little 12 year old that taught him to Earthbend. She rolled her sightless eyes, puffing air at her bangs

"Thanks Twinkle Toes. Suki, Snoozles" She greeted in kind. Sokka's eyes widened

"How did you do that? The floors made of wood!" She laughed

"Been working on my Metalbending. This is the Firenation, you didn't think that they made anything Wooden without some metal, did you?" she chuckled, knowing Sokka's face was falling.

"I think we should focus on why I called you all here" Aang's voice interrupted

"Yes, we should" Came a raspier, though aged, voice. All heads turned face the Fire Lord. He, as well as the others, had changed true to form. His hair remained the same, refusing to grow sideburns like his father, his face mostly the same save for hollowing out slightly, seeming older. The Traditional Fire Lord robes remained the same, although he had grown taller at 6"5 to tower over them all, his stature naturally rigid. But what had really aged, was his eyes. The wealth of nations, sadness of ages carefully hidden, and power of kings laid behind his daring golden gaze, making Suki and Sokka almost want to bow just when he looked at them. If Zuko wasn't meant for this role, then nobody was.

Sokka nodded "Aang" The Avatar looked at him "What did you mean when you said this was about" he swallowed "Katara's…Katara's Death" he choked, not noticing Zuko cringe and look down to the side, or Aang let out a slow painful breath. Toph did nothing, knowing that Katara was still alive, and that she was going to find her to make her come back.

"You guys all remember the Painted Lady, right?" Sokka, Toph and Suki nodded. Sokka had told his fiancé, having made it a habit to tell a Katara story every week to keep her memory fresh. She deserved that. Zuko furrowed his brow

"What do you mean? The spirit who helped my mother?" Aang nodded

"Yes and no. I forgot you weren't around then" He cleared his throat "When we were travelling through the fire nation, we came across a fishing village under fire nation control" He shifted his gaze from Zuko to the window behind him, staring out at the ever-blue sky "Katara made Appa look sick and pretended to be the Painted Lady for a couple of days, helping the people by healing them and giving them food. I found her on the last night, and helped her destroy the factory polluting the water, then we all pitched in to get rid of the soldiers and clean the lake" He finished, shaking his head. She had always had a soft spot for people in need

Zuko nodded "I have heard of that, actually. We've set up a cleaner base of operations there"

"Good, then were all caught up. Now" Aang turned to face them "I've heard tale that the Painted Lady has been growing in popularity for three and a half years now, showing up half a year after..." He trailed off, knowing they understood.

"She's been spotted in one of the Air temples" Toph finished, making the others turn to her. She shrugged, rising a brow "What? Did you really think I've spent four years twiddling my thumbs? Katara said the Painted Lady thanked her for what she did at that port, and if I've learned anything it's that spirits hold debts. She must have paid Katara back somehow, either by saving her when she left or making some kind of deal before" Sokka's eyes widened, and then turned to Suki

"Suki" She looked up at him

"What is it?" He smiled slightly

"You're gonna have to go back to Kyoshi for me" She opened her mouth to protest when he kissed her, effectively quieting her "It's something Katara told me to do" He whispered in her ear, making her sigh and kiss him quickly before turning to leave, smiling and waving at the others before she left

"Good luck" She said, turning to leave. After a moment of watching Sokka turned back to the others

"We have to go to the Western Air Temple"

**Hey guys! Sorry this took so long to update, got kicked off the comp for a couple days xP No worries! There is more action to follow, along with Toph and Zuko's POV's. Sorry if this seemed a bit rushed, for some reason it always ends up like that when I'm writing. My own plots excite me I guess! Thanks for reading, and it would be greatly appreciated if you could pop what you think about this so far into a review! Criticism is welcome and love is …well…Loved! LOL 8D**


	3. Goodbye with Love

_**"Oftentimes we say goodbye to the  
person we love without wanting to.  
Though that doesn't mean that  
we've stopped loving them or we've stopped to care.  
Sometimes goodbye is a painful way to say I love you." ~Author Unknown**_

The others gave him shocked faces, except for Zuko, who retained his royal exterior

"I thought you stopped looking, Sokka?" Toph piped up, narrowing her eyes in confusion down at the floor

"I did" he whispered "But Katara asked me to go there and get something for her"

"How-"

"What do you-"

"Why should we?" Zuko cut off the other two, his voice harsh. Sokka narrowed his gaze onto him

"What? What do you mean 'why should we'?" Zuko glared at him, a look that would have made Sokka cringe had Zuko not spoken out against Katara

"You heard me. Why should we? In case all of you have forgotten, _.Us_" he growled "No goodbye, no explanation" He shook his head "The sooner you all get over that the better" He ignored the shocked, sad and angry faces of the others as he inclined his head and spun around to leave, walking silently down the hall with a cool mask of uncaring on his face.

Inside he was fuming, angry and crying. But over time he had learned that the Fire Lords most important tool was not his bending, but his emotions. His father had led with Flames, but never had he shown weakness to his people. And yet, Katara had always had the gift of bringing out all those nasty little feelings, along with the not-so-nasty. He stopped, closing his eyes and inhaling, very nearly remembering the smell of her hair, of the sunny day they had sat by the turtle ducks…

' "_What do you think you're doing here?" The new Fire Lord asked. He had managed to find a few hours of peace, and decided to come out to the turtle duck pond when he spied one of the reasons for his turmoil._

_Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. _

_She didn't turn to face him, but he could just tell she was rolling her eyes at him "I just happened to see the turtle ducks all alone out here" she trailed off dipping her fingers in the pond and swirling them slightly "they wanted company" she finished in a whisper, not looking up from the water when Zuko sat beside her, a loaf of bread in his hands_

"_They like it when you feed them" He rasped, handing her half of it. She looked down at the offering with wide eyes before sending a radiant smile up at him_

"_Thanks but I figured they needed something besides food" she took the bread, smiling into his eyes for a second before taking off a piece and tossing it in. Zuko smiled back, feeding the turtle ducks at the same time, his bread bouncing off of hers mid-air and landing in her lap. They both looked down at the chunk for a second before Katara started giggling, then full-out laughed, Zuko joining in. They laughed for a full couple of minutes, quieting down into chuckles. She nudged him playfully with her shoulder when a baby turtle duck swam into her hands, petting it softly for a moment before handing it to him. With gentle hands that were forced to run a nation, he cradled the baby. Carefully he dipped his hands in the water, letting it swim free with a smile on his face_

"_I guess it wasn't food they needed after all" he answered her from earlier, earning a shocked face followed by a smile that made him smile back. They stayed there for hours afterwards, just talking about anything and everything until dark when they had to go in for supper. It was like a spell had worn off, they back to their usual fighting at the table, to a point where they both stormed off to their rooms, but snuck out to the pond without thinking, where they made amends with apologies and sat in the dark for hours, making silent vows while watching the turtle ducks.'_

Zuko shook his head, quickly returning to the present. He was married to Mai now, and he was certain he had feelings for her, but Katara…Katara had been something else entirely. No matter how much he fought it, he unfortunately knew with every fiber of his being that he still loved her even after all these years, and that was something he couldn't accept. Mai was everything he could ever ask for in a fire nation wife, she was political, intelligent, beautiful and she loved him. He loved her back of course, but with Katara…

Needless to say, he had chosen politics over Love. After all, Mai _was_ perfect, and Katara, to be honest, was a peasant. Even if that wasn't enough, he might still have chosen her (with Uncles advice of course) had she not been with Aang. He loved her, and since she never rejected him, he guessed she loved him back. He thought he had resolved everything with his feelings when he married Mai, since then there was no risk of being with Katara, but then she came to see him a week after he got back from his honeymoon, one of many weeks spent in torment because she wasn't with him. She had avoided him since he got back, supposedly planning for her wedding with the Avatar, a night he remembered with a burning intensity that haunted him…

' "_Zuko" came a soft voice from the doorway. The Fire Lord tensed and snapped his gaze up from the papers he was looking over to see Katara standing there, hunched over and hugging herself. She wore a peculiar purple ensemble that looked strangely familiar to him, her shoulders left bare and covered in strange red markings. Her hair was down, framing her downward face so he couldn't see_

"_Katara?" He rasped, rubbing his eyes for good measure. He was working late, later even than the servants, working on extra paperwork alone in his father's old war hall, now used for a conference room. "Are you nuts? A guard might have hurt you with that outfit on" She didn't move for a moment, just stood there, giving him a terribly foreboding feeling. After a moment she took a step forward, not looking up at him so it seemed as though she was floating_

"_Only months ago I never would have thought I would be here" she whispered. Zuko looked down_

"_I know what you mean Ka-"_

"_No" She interrupted, slowly lifting her face. He caught his breath at the sight as her hair parted, her face pale, blue eyes red-rimmed and watery, her mouth tight and tears making their way down her strangely painted face, the yellow crescent moon on hr forehead almost glowing "You don't" she sobbed, her face tilted to the side, arms holding herself close_

_He bolted to his feet on sheer instinct, his face filling with worry, and yet not daring to step around the table, not trusting himself to ever let her go should he comfort her "What do you mean?" he managed to choke out "Whats wrong?"_

"_Everything" she gasped "I'm here. The war is ended, yes but…" she shook her head, closing her eyes for a moment before looking back at him "Never have I felt so alone"_

_Zuko furrowed his brow "What are you talking about Katara? You have Aang, your brother, Toph is coming back from her parents soon and you have…" he trailed off, knowing full well that he hadn't been there for any of them for some time _

"_Exactly" she finished, sucking in a sharp breath "Not a single one of you needs me" she said, stepping closer to the far end of the table, shaking her head "None of you"_

"_What are you saying?" Zuko asked warily narrowing his eye. Katara looked up into them, conveying so many emotions it nearly made him stagger back_

"_I can't do this anymore" she shook her head "I just can't" she sobbed. Zuko's good eye watered unconsciously _

"_Katara" he warned, his voice beginning to choke "Whatever you're planning, don't do this" Please, please don't do this. She gave him a watery smile sadder than her tears_

"_I'm sorry Zuko." She whispered "But I can't marry Aang. I can't live my life watching all of you leave me" she choked, tightening her arms around herself_

"_Katara!" Zuko roared, his eyes threatening to cry "Don't. Do. This! Just...Just talk to me! Sokka! Aang! Anyone!" he blinked "Just don't do this" she stared at him for what seemed like an eternity, like she was marking everything into her mind with minute precision, like she was afraid to let it go_

"_You've become so strong, Zuko. I watched you go from a hurt, scared little boy to a strong, fighting and kind man the people of this nation will be proud to call their Fire Lord" Another sad smile "I know you'll find you're mother someday Zuko, and I would be honored to watch you turn this nation into something to be proud of. But" she let out a great, shuddering sigh _

_A tear had fallen from Zuko's eye without him knowing "..What? But what?" He asked calmly,though frantic inside; needing to know what she was talking about, and yet dreading the response. She looked at him again, like before, and slowly unfurled her arms, holding them out in front of her with her hands tightly clamping something covered by her strange purple sleeves_

"_I'm dying" she whispered, making Zuko flinch_

"_What do you mean?" he asked, slower "We can get healers, physicians-" she shook her head_

"_No. It's too late for me" her sleeves moved back seeming not of her own accord, to reveal a short red-handled dagger that she probably found in the armory. It was ceremonial, an ancient law commanding soldiers to carry one over their heart under their armor. Back then it was considered an act of honor to take your own life either if you're defeated, captured by the enemy or too weak to go on in battle. This time he bolted as fast as he could around the table, standing as close to her as he dared, just out of reach of the dagger_

"_Katara" he said warily "Don't do this" She stared at him, the dagger just above her flesh _

"_I'm dying, Zuko" she whispered, looking deeply into his eyes "This will just make it quicker"_

"_Why?" he growled "Why are you doing this?"_

"_I thought about it you know" she whispered "I thought about how things are going to be. How Sokka would be away with Suki or Dad all of the time. How Toph will no doubt be travelling the world. How you and.." She choked "you and Mai will be ruling the fire nation. How I'll be with Aang, learning how to make mango pie and be stuck in the air temple all the time giving birth to air bending children who will never know their mother" she sighed and looked down at the knife "Do you know what I realized, Zuko?"_

_Zuko blinked. Was everything really so bleak for her? Come to think of it, it probably would be. If she didn't love Aang, then that life would be torture for someone like her, she didn't even like height, if he recalled correctly. She wouldn't be helping anybody, just stuck there taking care of them all day, and she'd constantly be separated from her family and friends… "what did you realize, Katara?" he whispered, causing her to shiver imperceptibly. He put his hand on the handle of the dagger, hoping to be able to stop it if she did anything_

"_With all of that, I realized…I realized…" she looked into his eyes, her face so close he could smell her hair and practically taste her lips _

"_What?" He whispered, fighting every tendril of desire running through him_

"_I'm so sorry Zuko, but I just-"she stopped, seemingly unable to finish. She closed her eyes and looked down and away from him, dropping the dagger onto the floor at the same time. Without a sound she turned and walked away, stopping just before she exited "I'm sorry Zuko. But this is goodbye" '_

Zuko wiped his eyes from where he was sitting. As he was remembering that night, he had slid down one of the walls in the corridor, empty save for sounds of people coming down to where he was. He had followed her to the best of his abilities, but she had disappeared like a spirit on the wind. Her 'Letter', if his could even be called that, had finished what she hadn't been able to tell him

'"_Couldn't"_

He could just picture her saying it all together.

'"_I'm so sorry Zuko, but I just couldn_'_t_ "'

And it broke his heart.

So so sorry this took forever to post, but I just recently found my old hard drive and I was kinda facepalmed with a 'OH YEAHHH'. So here it is, and I really REALLY enjoy writing this one so I may even post another chap I have pre-written tomorrow. ENJOY!..AND PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW, I NEED YOUR FEEDBACK


	4. Hold You Again

**Tonight I'm reaching out to the stars **

**I think that he owes me a favor **

**It doesn't matter where you are **

**I'll hold you again ~ **

**Alone in this Bed by Framing Hanley**

When Zuko stalked out of the room, Sokka turned to the other two

"Can you believe that jerk?" Aang remained silent and Toph shook her head

"Actually, no" Sokka got a puzzled look on his face

"What do you mean?" Toph crossed her arms

"I mean, I think our resident Fire Lord just lied to us" He gulped

"What…What do you mean?" Toph sighed and rolled her eyes, going out the same way Zuko had moments ago and gesturing for the other two to follow. She steadily led the way to where Zuko was…Sitting? And crying, apparently. One knee was pulled up, his arm resting on it with his head tilted back against the wall, apparently trying hard not to remember something. Toph came to a stop right in front of him, jutting out one hand on her hip like Katara used to without meaning to, something Sokka noticed with a slight smile

"What did she say" Toph whispered. Zuko jerked his head to look at her

"I don't know what you're talking about" he said smoothly, regaining his mask. Toph growled

"You may be able to fool everybody else, _Fire lord_" she spat "But you're a terrible liar" Zuko sighed, then looked away. Aang stepped forward

"What's she talking about, Zuko?" he asked warily. Still he said nothing.

"What did your letter say, Zuko?" Toph asked again. Zuko looked up at her, eyes watering

"I didn't get one" The other three barely masked their surprise

"What do you mean?" Sokka was the first to ask. Zuko sighed

"All I got was three words on a piece of paper" Toph stared down at him

"What were they?" she whispered. Slowly he reached into his robes, pulling out a small roll of parchment, a blue hair ribbon tied around the middle, the creases well worn over the last four years. He brushed his thumb gently over it, as though afraid it would disappear. He stood, stuffing it back into his breast pocket

"You wouldn't understand" None of them said anything for a while, all of them taking a wild guess at a 'three word message' for only his ears, the only possibility Aang could think of made him sick, so he pushed it away.

"Follow me" Zuko rasped, leading them down a hall. By the time they passed so much as a servant his face was clear, chin held high and mask of regality back in place, but Toph could sense his inner turmoil. He hadn't used the conference room since the night Katara left, instead locking it tight and saying it would only be used for war purposes. There were no guards, servants or nobles about, and Mai was out of town visiting her family, so they would be undisturbed.

Upon reaching the large double doors, he took a breath, being able to trace so many key events in his life back to this place, this room. Pushing that away he used fire bending to unlock the door, stepping inside the dusty realm; like walking into another world, everything was exactly as it was when he ran out the door after Katara, coming back days later after instructing nobody to enter, locking the door for years. Just a few steps ahead sat the dagger she had tried to use to end her life, the papers from before that he had copied still waiting to be signed, a red handprint against the doorframe where she had been standing.

Sokka and Aang looked around in wonder, Sokka looking at the papers, handprint and dagger while Aang wondered why Zuko never had this room cleaned. Toph bent down curiously to touch the dagger on the floor, but Zuko's sharp retort stopped her

"Don't touch that" he snapped, not turning around "Don't touch any of it" he finished in a whisper, making his way to the end of the table, sitting down just like four years ago, not daring to look up lest he see her crying face in that strange outfit…

"Zuko" Sokka snapped him out of reverie, all three of them having taken seats nearby already "What did you need?" He asked, looking down at the map on the table, lightly tracing his fingers over the earth kingdom _so this was where they planned our fate…_

"You said we needed to go to the Western Air Temple. Why" Sokka sighed, pulling out a larger roll of parchment wrapped with a blue hair ribbon, the one he'd gotten her for her birthday as a child. If one looked close enough at the scrap of cloth, they would see what looked like children playing in the snow sewn into it.

"This was my letter" He said, unwrapping it gingerly. Although he could recite every word by heart, he knew they would need proof. After reading it aloud, all of it so they knew he was telling the truth, he wiped away the tears from his eyes, not noticing the others distress

"I knew she would have made some kind of a deal with the Painted Lady, but…" Toph trailed off "Why go to these lengths? I mean, why would you set all of this up and then just leave like that?" She shook her head

"That's one thing I never really understood" Sokka added, along with Aang's nod.

"Then you're all either stupid or blind" Zuko snapped, glaring down at the table

"Excuse-" Sokka started, only to be cut off by Zuko's glare

"You still don't get it, do you?" Zuko shook his head "She…_Katara,_had run out of options, at least in her mind. Who knows? Maybe there was no other solution" The Firelord mused to himself, his fingers skimming over the dusty table. "Never mind, it doesn't really matter anymore. It's too late" He shook his head again and lowered himself into the seat at the head of the table, folding his hands into the cuffs of his robes as he peered at each of the others in turn "What's the plan?"

Sokka clenched his jaw as he sat, crossing his arms and looking down at the table. Judging by the way the pieces on the map were set, he knew that Fire Nation forces hadn't been in those areas for four years… Just what was the Fire Lord hiding from them? "First off, I need to know exactly who'll be coming along. Zuko" His eyes landed on each of his comrades as he named them "I know it will be difficult to just leave off like that, but would it be at all possible to maybe have Iroh or Mai stand in?"

Zuko took a breath as he thought "I can't afford this to last longer than a week or two, but within that time…" He nodded "Uncle would understand" Sokka nodded

"Toph, I already know you're in" The two friends smiled at each other

"Dang straight Snoozles"

"Aang" The Avatar lifted his head "Are we to be expecting a wave of Airbenders at the Western Air Temple?" The monk shook his head

"No. I've been meaning to start renovating there, but I've been pretty busy with the Southern Temple. Not to mention every time I think I'm ready to move on there something comes up and I have to stay and fix it. " he took a breath "It's unfortunately empty"

Sokka shook his head, how ironic. If he believed in such a thing, the Water tribe prince might have even called it Fate "Let's hope not. How about we gather what we need tonight and we'll leave on Appa tomorrow" He held up a hand as Zuko began to protest "I know, I know. It's not much notice, but we need to be at the Temple a couple of days before the Solstice, just in case" After some time of talking, the newly-reunited Gaang set out to their respective rooms to get ready for the coming morning.

Iroh sighed heavily as he approached the main hall of the Fire Palace, still clad in his tea-shop robes he hadn't had much time to change. Fortunately the Dragon of the West had been in a meeting with the White Lotus' last night, so when the carrier pigeon had arrived with Zuko's urgent plea and explanation, he had wasted no time in getting here. Now at the early break of morn, Iroh smiled as he found himself face-to-face with Ursa

"Iroh! This is a pleasant surprise. I assume you're not here for pleasantries, though?" The kind woman added as an afterthought after seeing the man's garb. Iroh laughed, almost wishing he had his old belly back to shake

"Of course I am! I just have work to do as well" He held out his arm "Join me?" Ursa laughed delicately behind her hand

"Gladly, Iroh"

(**Just so you guys know, I was gonna stop there LOL)**

The harsh wind whipped Zuko's hair about wildly, chunks flying into his determined golden stare. He had spent four years trying to avoid the possibilities all-too ready to face him at the Temple, despite the fact that he had spent thousands hiring people to find Katara, none had been successful. Maybe it was for the best, after all, she had left for a reason, right? She had told him that night, had shared with him her reasons. Who was he kidding? They had all left her long before she had decided to jump off that cliff.

"Are we doing the right thing?" He spoke up. Everybody turned their heads to look at him in bewilderment. He was sitting with his arms and legs crossed; wearing the clothes he used to wear while he was with the Gaang, with size adjustments as needed of course. Plus he had chosen to leave his crown behind, after all, it was a burden a bit too heavy to bear on this mission.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Toph glared

"Are you nuts?" Was Sokka's retort

"Maybe he's right" Aang spoke up. Toph huffed exasperatedly

"You too Twinkletoes?"

"What I mean is" Zuko interrupted, glaring slightly at each in turn "What are we even expecting to find there?" He scoffed "Katara? Yeah, right. But on the off-chance we _did_, what makes you think she'll suddenly decide, 'Oh! Hey! Sorry about just leaving like that so everyone thought I was _dead_, guess I'll come back now and we'll all live Happily. Friggin. After" He spat, making Sokka wince and Toph growl. Aang sighed

"Maybe he has a-"

"Shut up" Sokka spoke out, passion filling his sea-blue gaze "So what if things won't be perfect? _So what_ if Katara…If Katara doesn't want to be with us anymore?" He gulped "Maybe we won't find her there, maybe we won't get the ending we all want. Hell, maybe we won't find _a damn thing_" He shook his head, slamming his hands down on the thick leather saddle "But I do know this; I for one am _not resting_ until I see my sister again" The entire group was silent after that, each caught in their own musings. Aang was petting Momo on his shoulder idly, Toph was staring at her outstretched feet as though they held the answer to life, Sokka climbed onto Appa's head to resume steering, and Zuko found himself staring out over the ocean. The moon was just visible in the sunny sky, making the Fire Lord remember a time when Sokka told him about Yue, a few weeks before Katara left.

After that night though, Sokka seemed to blame Zuko somehow for what happened, and he couldn't really blame him. After all, it had been all of their faults, right? No one person was to blame…

Was he?

He shook his head lightly. No. If anyone…If anyone it was Katara's fault. But that thought didn't sit well with him as he closed his eyes and inhaled slowly, still able to vividly recall the light in her eyes, the oceanic smell of her hair, and the fiery tone to her voice as she would stand for those she cared about. The softness in her tone as they shared a precious moment of solitude by the turtle duck pond, and when she had come to see him just before he showed himself to the Public as the new Fire Lord

_Zuko winced as he felt the bandages across his chest, idly noticing that some of them were coming loose. His healers hadn't had time to change them since last night before bed, and he was considering calling one now. Just before he could however, his heart began to palpitate seconds before a smooth voice called across the room, followed by the soft patter of her footsteps_

"_Having trouble Fire Lord?" Blue eyes teased, scarred tan hands were carrying an armload of pristine white bandages, tangled brown hair woven into a half-knot behind her head. Unable to help himself, Zuko felt his mouth tugging into a wide grin_

"_Not at all Princess. Want some help with those?" He teased back. Since her Father, Hakoda, was back on the proverbial throne of the Southern Water Tribe, that left Katara as the only water tribe Princess left. She snorted in a definitely un-ladylike way _

"_Shut up and hold out your arms Princey" He chuckled and complied, his gaze burning as she began to unwrap him with precise hands of practice_

"_Technically I'm a Fire Lord now" She rolled her eyes and threw the old bandaging away_

"_And technically I don't care" He laughed forthright at this, his smile dropping to a faint tug when he saw her eyes sadden as she gently skimmed her fingers over the prominent wound on his chest _

"_It's not your fault you know" He whispered, making her look up at him with a plastered smile_

"_Never said it was, Zuko" she chirped as she began to re-wrap, starting from his back. It took only moments for her to complete her medical task, though he wasn't entirely sure why she was the one doing it. She plopped her hands on her hips and eyed her work_

"_Done" she declared happily, swiping her hands together and turning to leave_

"_Katara" Zuko called her back, wincing as he put his arm down. She looked over her shoulder at him "Are you alright?" she smiled a bit, eyes dancing_

"_Of course" She went to leave again, but stopped herself "But, Zuko?" He perked up, looking at her expectantly. She licked her upper lip, seeming to change what she was going to say "I…I saw Mai about done getting ready" She inclined her head at the shirt beside him "you should let her help you with that. It's a girl thing" She winked_

_He furrowed his brown slightly "why would she want to help me with something so…Menial?" Katara smiled sadly_

"_Because she loves you" she whispered, and then left without another word. _

Looking back now, Zuko couldn't honestly say why Katara had been there to help him. Couldn't say what her message meant. Couldn't really even say why Mai had later told him that Katara had actually stopped her in the hall and asked if she could help Zuko instead.

Then again, maybe he could answer that. '_But maybe' _He thought, gazing out over the crashing waves '_maybe it's best I don't_'

Soooo..how'd ya like it? Too emo? Not enough emo happiness? I'm thinking of adding flashbacks for the others in the next chaps, Zuko's hogging them all XD


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